To be really funking fed up of the shit train services in this country

10:34 isn't much better, meetings often start at 10:00.

I totally agree. I got the train somewhere recently, its a 2 hour drive. My local train to the major station got cancelled. So I eventually got the next major train service. The next service that I got on, got cancelled after 2 stops, stranding me at a random station. The journey took 5 hours.

It costs £140 for a return ticket for an hours train journey where I live (major city to major city). I can get a return ticket on an hours flight (which is a 5 hour train journey away) for under £100. It's absolutely mental

The problem with nationalising it is Tory governments hate investing in public services. Problem with privatising it is costs go through the roof but the service is no better.

You lose either way.

The train companies are in thrall to the unions. Just like when it was BR. Union bosses just want to piss the government off . They need putting on a leash

A lot of the issues are down to crumbling infrastructure (power supply, signals, rails) which are endlessly being patched up - franchise holders have no incentive to invest money in upgrading it to the 20th century, let alone the 21st.

170 quid for a 90-minute journey! I am genuinely shocked at that! How is that justifiable, especially for such a shit service? I'm in Perth Australia and our fares are capped at $4.08 each way (about 2 pounds with a Smartrider card), or you can get a Dayrider for all day travel for $10.30 (about a fiver}. You can also get a Familyrider for off-peak travel for $10.30 for unlimited travel for two adults and up to five children. And once a month Sunday travel is free. Public transport is clean and reliable {I commuted in London for ten years, I do not miss the filth and overcrowding, although the Tube is fantastic off-peak). Just out of interest, I used to have an all-zones gold card for London public transport back in the day, I think it was about 4k in the 90s. I wonder how much it is now?

I just paid £30 for an adult and 2x DC to London 2.5 hr trip. I thought this was excellent value.

I’ve just checked and those prices are ridiculous going direct from Manchester, but there are alternatives, Manchester to Crewe costs £8 with a railcard, could then catch the Crewe to London Euston? Cheapest £44 with a railcard, which gets you into London at 10:34, so there are cheaper options out there!

I meet up with ex work mates every couple of months for a catch up. Every single time I have tried to go via train in the last year I have had to drive as the trains were striking. I used to catch the train 6 days a work for week. I'm so grateful I now work from home as commuting via train wouldn't be feasible.

Swindon to London - which is less than an hour is nearly £100 if arriving before 9am (and the outbound train in the image was the cheapest option, so closer to 9 is more). Anytime return would be £170+. Its outrageously expensive for such a short journey.

Completely get your frustrations, OP. The price is ridiculous for one, but at least if the service was reliable and there was good infrastructure it would be something, but the constant fear of strikes and last minute cancellations are demoralising. No idea how they are justifying the prices going up year on year.

I'm from Scotland but now live in England, and with a railcard, it's costing me about £120 to get back home and I'm less than 4 hours away... and that's not at peak times. I've had so many plans cancelled due to strikes, it just makes you not want to travel or go anywhere, when in theory it shouldn't be hard to get to X, Y, Z.

Hope you got to London eventually for your meeting!

When I was a student in the late 90s I would use Chiltern Railways a lot to get from uni to home. It was actually pretty good! Nice trains, reliable, and the cost wasn't bad. More recently the line was taken over by Arriva and it's gone to shit. The rolling stock is old, the prices are high, and it's late, frequently. But I don't drive, I can't afford to, so what's the alternative?

And I don't think nationalising it is the solution either. The State already bought back Network Rail and LNER. Have things improved? The only benefit I can see is that rather than shareholders get a divvy the Government decides how to reinvest the money...and I can't say they are the greatest on these decisions.

The RMTs recent beef is track maintenance and I agree, working in this industry, that we are due a train disaster soon. I don't know what the solution is...I've travelled on trains in other countries and though clean and cheaper than the UK I can't say they are any more reliable. Germany, for example, known worldwide for efficiency and design, are having chronic problems with DB right now. The Germans are taking the p* out of the lack of reliability online. Italy's railways (Trenitalia) are majority owned by the State but they are always late and there's a lack of investment in stations and infrastructure. The only benefit of riding Europe's railways is they are much much cheaper per mile than the UK. It's a conundrum not only experienced here.

I’ve never had any time for conspiracy theories, but this is sounding scarily possible to me!!

Try looking at a journey from Manchester to London, arriving before 11:30 (when most other peak restrictions end at 09:30 or 10:00). It really will cost that much, and then some. There's not enough capacity on the West Coast Main Line so the operators are told by the government to price everyone off, this is why it was important to complete HS2 to Manchester in order to boost capacity.

Yes it's a stinking pile of shit.

How can they bang on about climate change and try and encourage people on to trains rather than flying or driving when it's such a mess?

DH is off somewhere for the weekend on the train and just found out half the trip is on rail replacement buses because tracks are broken. Can't plan anything more than a fortnight in advance because of strikes. Can't afford to get a train from one end of the country to the other because of their ridiculous prices.

I don’t even think about catching a train anymore.

We’re served by Trans Pennine express. Not sure we’re served though, maybe failed,

A deputation of northern mayors went to see whoever the transport secretary was. It’s destroying the economy up here.

The Dutch got around the directive by just giving the operating contract to Nederlandse Spoorwegen.

Meant to add that a day barely seems to go by without the local paper fb warning readers of some delay or other. It's pathetic.

Feeling your pain OP, my train into Waterloo and onward tube travel to my destination should be around an hour. I’m currently 2.5 hours in and still not made it to Waterloo yet.
Tedious. Delays then cancellations across the board this morning (mostly it happens when I’m trying to get home, it’s not often that I’m delayed on my way to work).

I am so with you, OP. The last trip I took should have taken 2.5 hours, ended up taking 5. It was delayed by a fallen tree on the line - was showing as cancelled, so I asked for advice and on the basis of it took an alternative route that involved changing trains.

When I got to the connecting station, all services were severely delayed because of - guess what! - another fallen tree on the line 🤨.

Tried to claim delay repay, only to learn that the original cancelled train had been suddenly reinstated (after I set off on the alternative route) - so no compensation for my lost 2.5 hours.

We lived in the U.K. last year and we were saying how we only had one train journey into London where there wasn’t some kind of delay/problem, and on two occasions major cancellations.

Yes, blame the staff still trying to get a payrise for 2022/23 within a few percent of inflation for the period, so that their wages have only actually dropped 4 or 5 percent in real terms rather than 10%. Definitely their fault and not the greedy shareholders and incompetent senior management.

Get a clue love.

I live in Sydney. Yesterday I took the train into the city with my kids. We have a 40 minute journey in from our suburb, then we got the team about 4 stops and then the train home again later. It was clean, on time, you can choose which direction you face thanks to moveable seat backs. The whole thing was easy.
It cost me $8.25 - about £5. It cost the kids $4.00 each.

And that’s without a railcard!

YANBU regarding unreliable trains, it’s infuriating but YABU paying £170! Were you travelling first class?

I’ve checked on Northern Railway app and there are various ticket prices ranging from £29 - £129! Anytime train £70!